Police find meth lab

According to police Chief Scott Bowen, officers responded at around 9:15 p.m. to Willow Tree Apartments on Alhambra Drive following a complaint of a strong odor.

“We had calls from several people in the area that something just didn’t smell right,” Bowen said.

Upon arrival, witnesses told officers that they saw the people in apartment 1A take two backpacks to the dumpster.

When officers retrieved the backpacks, they found items commonly used in manufacturing methamphetamine inside.

Bowen said the occupants of the apartment, Kayla Rose, 23, of Lebanon, and Ashlee Hibdon, 27, of Lebanon, spoke to officers and gave them permission to search the apartment.

Officers then found drug paraphernalia inside the apartment.

Additionally, Bowen said Rose and Hibdon gave officers conflicting stories about when they took the trash out, so officers continued to search inside two other trash bags they found in the dumpster.

Active one-pot meth labs were found in each bag, along with other personal items linking the bags to apartment 1A, Bowen said.

“One was actually still totally active and still cooking in the bottle,” Bowen said.

Meth technicians were then called to the scene to gather evidence and dispose of any hazardous materials.

“Something interesting we found at this lab was there was red liquid in the bottle,” Bowen said. “We were puzzled because we’ve heard of colored meth and dying it and things like that but usually it isn’t red, it’s yellow or blue.”

According to Bowen, upon further investigation there had been a lollipop placed in the Coleman fuel to turn the meth a red color.

Bowen said officers were going to return to the scene Wednesday to test the area to ensure it’s safe.

Rose and Hibdon were both charged with initiation of methamphetamine, promotion of methamphetamine, possession of schedule II, tampering with evidence and reckless endangerment.

Bowen said the two were charged with reckless endangerment because that they were in an apartment complex with numerous people nearby.